Everyone. It is great to be with you. Thank you for joining us. The Vice President of the Global Economy and development brookings. For therateful participation of the u. N. Deputy secretarygeneral, amina , and also rajiv shah, both leaders and Global Sustainable development who took time out of their busy schedule to be with us. And rajiv, we are honored your participant you honored by your participation. The need for new policies to build back inclusive and sustainable economies has never been greater. Policy makers and other stakeholders around the world are focused on aspects surrounding Sustainable Development. A special thank you to richard for his policy round tables on Sustainable Development the past several years, that inspired the creation of the center. The launch of the center would not be possible with without the efforts of many who worked tirelessly beyond the scenes per let me take a moment to recognize my colleagues, including director john and the staff, notably david and the communications team, and strongntly the commitment of our president , who is aohn allen, very strong proponent of Global Development. Thank you, john, for your support and exemplary leadership at this defining moment for Global Development. Let me turn it over to you, john. Doctor, thank you for your typically warm and comprehensive remarks. Let me echo the thanks you have rendered to those who have had such an Important Role in all we are doing today. I want to thank you for your leadership, tremendous leadership of the Global EconomyDevelopment Program here at brookings. Let me hasten to add how grateful we are today for the presence of the deputy secretarygeneral of the United Nations, her excellency Amina Mohammed. It is an honor, maam, you grace us with your presence here at brookings. And let me also add it is wonderful to see my friend rajiv shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation. We have known each other a long time and he has been a model for me to understand the imperative of Global Development. And we wouldnt be where we are , and without you, rajiv your Global Organization rajiv. You, usai welcome to todays launch for the Brookings Center of Sustainable Development. It is moments like these where, even as we celebrate the Exciting Initiative such as the Brookings Center for sustainable element, it becomes apparent what unusual and serious times we are living in. The advent of the pandemic earlier this year has robbed us of over one million precious caused thewide, and greatest economic crisis since the Great Recession and perhaps the great depression. Of need to address issues inequality, Structural Racism andinequity, Climate Change the troubling decline of international cooperation, has become even more paramount. All enshrined in 17 2030ed nations sustainable goals were long considered a northstar for leaders across the world, something which we can all steer our efforts. It can be argued this maybe one of the richest accomplishments of the United Nations and the modern era, securing the futures of our children, building a commitment to the common good, stds, as they are called, echo much of the original tenets that inspired the creation of the United Nations 75 years ago. Unfortunately, despite having briefly been a team leader in implementing the stds, the u. S. Has since demonstrated a decline in its commitment to these values, actions such as withdrawing from crucial a clean crucial agreements like the paris by mcwhorter disengaging from the World Health Organization have only done the u. N. In the world a disservice, directly affecting the u. S. And world progress for achieving these vital goals. There is a key difference today between u. S. Leadership in this administration and traditional American Leadership, meaning American National commitment to an international, rulesbased, valuebased leadership that has defined the world order largely in the last 75 years, in Close Partnership frankly with the United Nations. In the best of time, these two forms of leadership have largely been in synchronization, and america and our partners have been able to lead by example and be transformation all over the world. Sadly, that is not the case today. And while the current leadership of the u. S. Might not supportive of International Action on stds , American Leadership is alive and well within many different sectors such as academia, business, philanthropy, Civil Society and local government, where many have mobilized their respective organizations and institutions to make a real impact. I hope we will reunite these two forms of leadership within the u. S. , but for now it will be through these diverse parts of our society that we see a thriving, new type of leadership taking place, a coalition of the willing are at this event today aptly titled, charging a new course toward economic, social and environmental progress and building a future that leaves no one behind. Indeed, it is with a commitment to these same reads that we have brookings have decided to take part, our own Mission Always working in support of the public good, to create the center for Sustainable Development. For us, this is American Leadership in action as it should be. We all have an obligation to lead on these issues. It is not just our hope, it is our mission. It is the Brookings Institutional commitment to the Global Sustainable agenda and the u. N. Sustainable goals, the center also utilizes a core group of leading brookings scholars whose work focuses on these issues. Under the leadership of fellow John Macarthur, the Centers Group of experts will be able to maximize these folks on issues such as extreme poverty, the leave no one behind agenda, foreign aid effectiveness, metrics of Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development finance, Climate Change and much more. I could not be more proud or more thrilled that we are able to accomplish this important milestone and commitment, and that brookings is making this commitment today to our Global Community. I cannot be more honored that the likes of John Macarthur and many of our amazing scholars have joined such an excellent and noble cause. This task will not be easy. If the world is to meet the targets set by the sdgs in 2030, we must foster a recovery post covid19 it to commitment build back better. Even within such a challenging environment, john and his colleagues will rise above our greatest expectations. This is a great day for brookings and we are very proud to invite those who have joined ,s today to serve with us alongside the United Nations, and cheating these very, very important goals. Let me turn the floor over to United Nations deputy secretarygeneral Amina Mohammed , who will present her keynote remarks. And let me close where i began, madam secretary general. We are so honored by your presence and deeply honored you would join us for this important day for the brookings institution. Thank you. It is a real pleasure and i would like to thank all my friends for inviting me to this important occasion. It is exciting to join the Brookings Institute to launch this bold new center that will tackle headon the worlds biggest sustainable global challenges. I salute things and its team for sending its own signal to the world that issues of Sustainable Development our centerstage for all of humanity. Gutierrezrygeneral recently said, the covid19 pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our world, and it has laid bare risks we have long ignored, Inadequate Health systems, gaps in social protection, structural inequality, environmental degradation and climate crisis. The Sustainable Development goals, i believe, are the best roadmap, the best northstar as general allen has said, for the world for protecting that fragility and getting to a new place of environmental resilience. General, thank you for your personal commitment and passion for the stds. Your inspiring comments today and also a few weeks ago when we were together at an event workings helped convene, i want to bring people together around a common frame around cooperation. Many people have made it possible today, but it is a special pleasure to join you to celebrate the centers Extraordinary Team of kali Extraordinary Team of scholars, many of them my friends. A Global Leader on climate sustainable infrastructure who over the years has provided invaluable support to the work, and even in these last couple of weeks. Marcella has been an intrepid inder on Development Issues latin america and the caribbean, but also usual workforce issues within the u. S. Itself. , my brother of another mother, has been a driving force at the heart of the global sdg agenda since before its inception and continues to give crucial assistance to our u. N. Team in navigating this years Global Financial crisis. George ingram has had a unique in u. S. Leadership contributions to Global Development over the years. Another ally of ours was lead negotiator in the stds leading up to the 2015 adoption and today plays a role inmultilateral cooperation goals for climate. NewJohn Macarthur, the center director, has been my collaborator for nearly two decades in promoting practical and peoplefocused leadership, first with Millennium Development goals and more recently for Sustainable Development goals. As we turn to what the center can do for the world, at the u. N. We are familiar with the shifting politics and factors hurting the planet. We need leadership from all corners, even at especially from think tanks. We need your insight, independence, ideas, recommendations and your voices. Models simply need role for collaboration and international cooperation. One of the things that makes this effort unique is the focus of the center on Network Leadership, and no one left behind philosophy. Can achieve the stds alone. All of us need to pitch together. Everyone needs to be at the table in our communities around to address the pandemic of inequality and protect the climate and oceans for future generations. In this respect, i would like to challenge the center for Sustainable Development to strive to be a beacon of inspiration for the pursuit of Sustainable Development in all our countries and communities around the world, where these will make the most impact. Together with partners and allies, are you qs you to leverage your independent voice to better understand the issues, to seek the insights of the young or marginalized, and to think more clearly about the options and solutions to extend our sense of possibility. The brookings team has already contributed so much in helping the world tackle its great challenges of Sustainable Development and so much more. But i know we are only just getting started. We have a neck aid to go for achieving the stds. And i really cant wait to see what we do next together. At this juncture, it is my deep, deep pleasure, and im very excited about this, handing it over to my friend, john mcarthur. Ohn thank you, madame secretarygeneral aminah. Amina. And thank you for your leadership on behalf of the whole world for what you do everyday day to bring us together. I want to start thinking john allen, general allen, and everyone brookings, partners around the world, and so many people who have been instrumental in spending weeks, months and years in bringing us to this day of launch. We also are privileged to have a message we received from the World Health Organization director general, dr. Tedros, and we wanted to share that briefly. If we could briefly pull up that video. Dr. Tedros it is my pleasure to send my best wishes for the launch of the new center for Sustainable Development at the brookings institution. The world was striving to meet Sustainable Development goals before the covid19 deming covid19 pandemic. We leave the present behind now. The center for Sustainable Development can help get us back on track through innovation and partnerships. Missione the centers of bipartisan leadership and Sustainable Development. Congratulations to everyone involved at the center for Sustainable Development, and especially your inaugural director, my friend, john mcarthur. I look forward to a close and fruitful partnership. I thank you and wish you all the very best. John we thank you, dr. Tedros rock for your kind words today and all you are doing for the world during this pandemic, to get us to the other side. What will the center do . We have heard central themes ranging from leave no one behind to Network Leadership around the world, but we decided to take on five starting topics. First, defining the challenge, what we did what we call Sustainable Development economics and empirics. Metrics inntifying all countries around the world. Third, advancing Sustainable Development at local levels, bringing these issues to communities where the matter most. Advancing effective financing for Sustainable Development. And fifth, advancing, in the words of general allen, both u. S. Official and american societal leadership for Global Sustainable development. The next question you might be wondering is, who is exactly in the center . I would like to take a moment to talk about each of our scholars, it is an Extraordinary Team. We are grateful to the deputy secretary general for mentioning them, but if we could bring up if you put images to show the starting officers. As it was mentioned, our leader on so many issues as a leader on Climate Action and instrumental on strategies for inclusive Global Growth and improving local governance. In the lead up to the glasco summit on climate, postponed until next year to chart the worlds future, he is our guiding light. Escobari. Marcella she faces questions like confronting the growing diversions in people, supporting job mobility for those who need it most. Is launching ala mobility pathway, an online data tool to promote upwardly mobile jobs in specific locations across america. Ingram, ourrge seasoned voice on u. S. Official strategies for Global Development. George focuses on promoting bipartisan u. S. Leadership, policies to support responsiveness in fragile environments, and the intersection between Business Development and Sustainable Development. Today george is releasing an important paper on how u. S. Global development structures can be updated to fit for purpose in 2021. Venerableour most scholar. Without his efforts, there simply would be no center today. It is a possible to describe the breath of his work, so let me give you recent examples. Is releasinghomi the effects of the pandemic on communities around the world, the results are not good. Been actively has supporting u. N. Policy efforts to finance the covid19 recovery and avoid debt crises around the world. And a few days, he is going to release a new paper on updating the Global Development architecture writ large to tackle a post pandemic world. , our embodiment of collecting the local with the global. His work is nearly impossible to supportingbut he is global city to